Raspberry Fluff Mate

Whenever a 52Teas packet recommends 4g when there are 15g total in a package, I tend to leaf-up a gram so the leaf will split evenly and I won’t have a weird amount left over. I’m not sure that was the best thing to do in this situation as the yerba mate was very strong… or maybe it’s just that I haven’t had any in such a long time, I’ve forgotten what a strong green flavor it has. It is very vegetal, in a fresh grass sort of way, and a little smoky ala Gunpowder Green. It’s not my favorite flavor, but it’s drinkable. The raspberry cream flavor is spot-on, as usual, though. Very creamy and sweet, like a raspberry dessert. The mate is just overwhelming it a bit much for my liking, and because it is so strongly vegetal, I’m getting more of a “fresh raspberries right of the vine, stems and leaves intact” sort of vibe instead. It’s fine, but I definitely prefer this particular flavor on other bases… the energy boost sure is nice, though!

(52teas (Anne) 2022: 294)

Too much mate, not enough raspberry. I feel like I enjoyed the second infusion more than the first, though, so perhaps I also have an overleafing problem? Have I said this about Anne’s mate blends before?

Amandastory516 sent me the loveliest package of teas, and this was one of them. I was cooking and way oversteeped it, which definitely didn’t help, but it managed to be not bitter until the last couple sips. Still, the flavor was just mate without a hint of anything else except maybe a bit of marshmallow softness, but so subtle I’m not sure. It doesn’t taste bad, but it’s not what I’m looking for in a tea. The resteep was the same. I wish I’d gotten some raspberry or more marshmallow, but at least it was a decent mate.

Sipped on this one Thursday evening during the Critical Role livestream.

Does anyone else know Viva Puffs? They’re like a cookie that’s a marshmallow with a small amount of jam inside (usually strawberry or raspberry) encased in a thin shell of chocolate. If you remove the chocolate component, I couldn’t help but think this tea tasted like a raspberry viva puff while I was sipping it – only with the addition of the grassy and mineral green mate.

From the November subscription box.

I reorganized the counter in my tea nook a bit last night, and put all of my subscription teas in their own little box so I can be sure to drink them in a timely manner! I also ordered a couple of acrylic divided bins to use instead of my current cardboard boxes with the flaps cut off… I’m also planning to do some acrylic bins in the cupboard to separate different types of tea and such, but haven’t decided on those yet. Anyway, getting off topic! This is the first tea I’m trying from the November subscription, as the combination of raspberry and marshmallow sounded so delicious.

Unfortunately, I’m not getting much raspberry, vanilla, or marshmallow in this pot. The base is a mix of green and roasted yerba maté, and I’m mostly just getting the grassy and herbaceous green flavor here. And I do like green maté, so it’s not bad, I’m just only getting a faint hint of raspberry and maybe a touch of marshmallow at the end of the sip. I can taste the roasted maté as well, it adds a nice hojicha-like note and roasty richness.

I wonder if I didn’t get enough raspberry in my scoop, although there wasn’t a ton in the packet and it was mostly small pieces. I’ll have to give this one another try or two before I assign it a rating!

ETA: I also added a Subscription tab to my tea spreadsheet! Yay!